Writers Authorize Strike, May Delay The Walking Dead And Other Fall TV

The writers have spoken and they're heavily in favor of authorizing a strike.

The Writers Guild of America authorized their strike against production companies on Monday after a vote concluded with over 96% in favor of standing strongly for their requests regarding schedules, payment, and benefits to be fulfilled. If the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers does not come to an agreement with the WGA, the strike could go into effect as early as May 2.

“We thank you for your resolve and your faith in us as your representatives. We are determined to achieve a fair contract,” the WGA negotiating committee said.

The Previous Strike

The previous strike was held 10 years ago, running from November of 2007 through February of 2008 for 100 days. Shows such as LOST and Breaking Bad felt the effects as shorter and later seasons cut into their programming.

The 2007 strike is responsible for the birthing of midseason breaks. As shows had to scramble to put together the second halves of their seasons, many episodes were held until the new year before airing. The two parties refused to agree while bargaining.

The AMPTP issued a statement in response to the 2017 strike authorization: “The companies are committed to reaching a deal at the bargaining table that keeps the industry working. The 2007 Writers Strike hurt everyone. Writers lost more than $287 million in compensation that was never recovered, deals were cancelled, and many writers took out strike loans to make ends meet. We remain focused on our objective of reaching a deal with the WGA at the bargaining table when the guild returns on April 25th."

Fall 2017 TV

(Photo: Gene Page/AMC)

Should the strike go into effect next week, series such as The Walking Dead (which begins production on its eighth season today) will be halted in their production. Sources involved with the AMC series have confirmed to Comicbook.com that a writers' strike will indeed halt the shooting.

Should this be the case, shows like The Walking Dead will be on production hiatus until the strike comes to an end. Should the strike last as long as the strike from 10 years ago, the AMC series might have to forego debuting their Season 8 trailer at San Diego Comic Con in July as they will not have wrapped production on about half of their season as usual by that date.

Other series set to air in the fall will inevitably be delayed if their production centers around kicking off in early May. Not only will cable series feel the hit but titles like Marvel's Jessica Jones which airs on Netflix might see a delay in production and, therefore, release as well.

The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer is expected to arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.